Sep 8, 2009 6:16 pm US/Central
Obama Honors Local Girl In Speech To Students
President Praises 17-Year-Old Shantell Steve For High Achievements In Face Of Adversity
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Student Shantell Steve, who turns 18 later this week, got a special nod Tuesday by President Obama in his speech to the nation's school children.
CBS
President Barack Obama showed some tough love to the nation's school kids in his speech on education Tuesday. But he also gave high praise to one Chicago Public Schools student who has beaten the odds in a big way.
Shantell Steve watched the president's speech from her classroom at Percy S. Julian High School on Tuesday. As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports,
Shantell's inspirational story caught Obama's eye.
"Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college," Obama said.
As she faced the media Tuesday, Shantell was still beaming, ecstatic about how her achievements had been singled out by the president.
"The experience was great," Shantell said. "Never in a million years did I think President Barack Obama would have me in his speech."
A 17-year-old senior with a 3.6 grade point average, Shantell learned Monday that the president would feature her as an example of fortitude, despite never knowing her mother or father and growing up in a in a series of foster homes.
"Growing up in foster care, you're placed in environments filled with anger so great that the individuals don't show any love, all they do is act out their anger. That was my situation," Shantell said.
But not only did she not let it hold her back, she has been mentoring other students as well.
"Some people that were in my situation, they don't have support, they tend to turn to things that are negative. If I can change one person's life, it's amazing," Shantell said.
As she listened to Obama's speech, recognition from the president brought a tear to her eye. And, as the president spoke to millions, he was clearly speaking about Shantell.
"No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny, you make your own future," Obama said.
Shantell said that, "No matter what, you have to be determined; you have to have it in your soul that you can overcome anything."
Shantell has a clear roadmap for her future. She said she hopes to attend the University of Wisconsin next year. She said she wants to major in biology and has her sights set on a medical career as an oncologist.
The president said aim high. Clearly, Shantell was doing just that.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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